A Collection of Ballads | Page 6

ran
down between.
"Yield thee, now yield thee, Percy," he said,
"Or else I vow I'll lay
thee low!"
"To whom must I yield," quoth Earl Percy,
"Now that I
see it must be so ?"
"Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loun,
Nor yet shalt thou yield to me;

But yield thee to the braken-bush,
That grows upon yon lilye lee!"
"I will not yield to a braken-bush,
Nor yet will I yield to a brier;
But
I would yield to Earl Douglas,
Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he
were here."
As soon as he knew it was Montgomery,
He stuck his sword's point
in the gronde;
The Montgomery was a courteous knight,
And
quickly took him by the honde.
This deed was done at Otterbourne,
About the breaking of the day;

Earl Douglas was buried at the braken bush,
And the Percy led
captive away.
Ballad: Tam Lin
(Child, Part II., p. 340, Burns's Version.)
O I forbid you, maidens a',
That wear gowd on your hair,
To come
or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tam Lin is there.

There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh
But they leave him a wad,

Either their rings, or green mantles,
Or else their maidenhead.
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she
has braided her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she's awa'
to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can hie.
When she came to Carterhaugh
Tam Lin was at the well,
And there
she fand his steed standing,
But away was himsel.
She had na pu'd a double rose,
A rose but only twa,
Till up then
started young Tam Lin,
Says, "Lady, thou's pu nae mae.
"Why pu's thou the rose, Janet,
And why breaks thou the wand?
Or
why comes thou to Carterhaugh
Withoutten my command?"
"Carterhaugh, it is my ain,
My daddie gave it me;
I'll come and
gang by Carterhaugh,
And ask nae leave at thee."

Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she
has snooded her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she is to
her father's ha,
As fast as she can hie.
Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ba,
And out then
cam the fair Janet,
Ance the flower amang them a'.
Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess,
And out then
cam the fair Janet,
As green as onie grass.
Out then spak an auld grey knight,
Lay oer the castle wa,
And says,
"Alas, fair Janet, for thee
But we'll be blamed a'."
"Haud your tongue, ye auld-fac'd knight,
Some ill death may ye die!

Father my bairn on whom I will,
I'll father nane on thee."

Out then spak her father dear,
And he spak meek and mild;
"And
ever alas, sweet Janet," he says.
"I think thou gaes wi child."
"If that I gae wi' child, father,
Mysel maun bear the blame;
There's
neer a laird about your ha
Shall get the bairn's name.
"If my love were an earthly knight,
As he's an elfin grey,
I wad na
gie my ain true-love
For nae lord that ye hae.
"The steed that my true-love rides on
Is lighter than the wind;
Wi
siller he is shod before
Wi burning gowd behind."
Janet has kilted her green kirtle
A little aboon her knee,
And she
has snooded her yellow hair
A little aboon her bree,
And she's awa'
to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she can hie.
When she cam to Carterhaugh,
Tam Lin was at the well,
And there
she fand his steed standing,
But away was himsel.
She had na pu'd a double rose,
A rose but only twa,
Till up then
started young Tam Lin,
Says, "Lady, thou pu's nae mae.
"Why pu's thou the rose, Janet,
Amang the groves sae green,
And a'
to kill the bonie babe
That we gat us between?"
"O tell me, tell me, Tam Lin," she says,
"For's sake that died on tree,

If eer ye was in holy chapel,
Or christendom did see?"
"Roxbrugh he was my grandfather,
Took me with him to bide,
And
ance it fell upon a day
That wae did me betide.
"And ance it fell upon a day,
A cauld day and a snell,
When we
were frae the hunting come,
That frae my horse I fell;
The Queen o
Fairies she caught me,
In yon green hill to dwell.

"And pleasant is the fairy land,
But, an eerie tale to tell,
Ay at the
end of seven years
We pay a tiend to hell;
I am sae fair and fu' o
flesh
I'm feared it be mysel.
"But the night is Halloween, lady,
The morn is Hallowday;
Then
win me, win me, an ye will,
For weel I wat ye may.
"Just at the mirk and midnight hour
The fairy folk will ride,
And
they that wad their true love win,
At Miles Cross they maun bide."
"But how shall I thee ken, Tam Lin,
Or how my true-love know,

Amang sae mony unco knights
The like I never saw?"
"O first let pass the black, lady,
And syne let pass the brown,
But
quickly run to the milk-white steed,
Pu ye his rider down.
"For I'll ride on the milk-white steed,
And ay nearest the town;

Because I was an earthly knight
They gie me that renown.
"My right hand will be gloyd, lady,
My left hand